North Hunterdon (45) at Cranford (39) - Girls Basketball

  http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/1171337084976331281/north-hunterdon-45-at-cranford-39-girls-basketball/

North Hunterdon (45) at Cranford (39) - Girls Basketball

Star-Ledger, January 05, 2013 6:50 p.m.

By Carolyn Freundlich
When North Hunterdon made the long trek to Cranford yesterday morning, Jill Bellofatto knew her team wasn't expected to win.
But then again, North Hunterdon wasn't expected to be playing well after losing all five starters from a year ago.
"We use it as motivation," Bellofatto said of the low expectations for her North Hunterdon team. "No one expected us to do this well. It shows great character how everyone just really stepped up."
Yesterday, it was Carolyn Giordano who stepped up for North Hunterdon. With two starters not in full form due to illness, Giordano came off the bench midway through the first quarter to score a team-high 11 points in helping North Hunterdon to a 44-37 victory over host Cranford, No. 18 in The Star-Ledger Top 20.
It was a victory, Bellofatto said, which gave her team a vital shot of confidence as North Hunterdon prepares for showdowns this week with Phillipsburg and No. 20 Bridgewater-Raritan.
"Coming out and beating Cranford gave us a big boost," Bellofatto said. "We needed a good win, and we need to keep momentum going."

North Hunterdon came out strong from the start, pairing a patient offense with a 1-2-2 zone defense which kept Cranford at bay. The scheme was especially successful in holding off Cranford's main offensive threat, Jessica McCoy, as North Hunterdon built a small lead to start, but one it was able to maintain throughout the game.
Even when McCoy began to heat up in the fourth quarter.
With balanced scoring and a 3-pointer by Giordano in each of the two middle periods, the Hunterdon County team extended its lead and gradually built a 35-31 lead to start the final period.
But in the fourth Cranford began to catch up, coming within two with four minutes to go, with McCoy serving as a key figure on both ends. McCoy finished with a game-high 17 points.
"We weren’t running our offense well, we weren’t penetrating, and weren’t driving," Bellofatto said.
North Hunterdon coach Tom Hank called a timeout, and his squad resumed play running a man-to-man defense, catching Cranford off-guard. North Hunterdon capitalized by closing with a 10-5 final quarter.

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/game/score/1509315/

North Hunterdon (45) at Cranford (39)
Final	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	F
North Hunterdon	8	16	11	10	45
Cranford	7	15	10	5	39

 

Player Stats
North Hunterdon - Game stats
Player	FG	3FG	FT	Reb	A	S	Blk	Pts
Jill Bellofatto	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
Megan Conner	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Alicea Foran	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	5
Carolyn Giordano	1	2	4	0	0	0	0	11
Allison Lane	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	9
Hailey Stine	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	9
Christie Young	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3

Player Stats
Cranford - Game stats
Player	FG	3FG	FT	Reb	A	S	Blk	Pts
Jenna Goeller	0	2	3	1	3	2	0	9
Carly Maucione	1	0	1	1	0	1	0	3
Jessica McCoy	7	1	0	9	3	0	1	17
Kaitlin McGovern	2	0	4	7	0	0	0	8
Mairead McKeary	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
Kerry Wischesun	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0